Parenting an Autistic Child

Autism can rob a child of their childhood. The happy outgoing child now must deal with the effects of this developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. As a parent there are great challenges for you as well. This is a guide about parenting an autistic child.

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Solutions

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As a mom of an autistic child and a grandma of two autistic children, I believe one solution is education. Educate yourself and educate others about autism. Often, autistic children look like other 'typical' children. So, when you are out in public or even around family and friends, they may be taken back by some of your child's behaviors.

Celebrate each milestone. Holding a cup at 18 months may not have been a big deal to others, but it was for me. Clapping his hands for the first time at 3 years old was a celebration. A much bigger milestone was not having to change a diaper when he was ten years old.

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Going out in public was a great place to educate others. Especially hearing rude comments about your child who was having a meltdown in Walmart because of noises, lights, etc. As I held my then 6 year old in my arms sitting on the floor, it was a great time to pass out 'business' cards I had made with "I'm Not Naughty...I Have Autism" on the front of them. The back of them went like this "If you are alarmed because of my child's behavior, it is not because of lack of discipline."

Autism affects one's ability to understand their environment, and usually they are oversensitive to everything that affects their senses such as sounds, touches and smell. My child has an inability to cope with any changes in his routine. Because of an inability to communicate, my child has frustration and pain. Please be patient while I teach my child to be social.

If you or anyone you know has autism or is on the spectrum of autism, please go to this site. Because of this site, my 19 year old daughter is so much better. Things have changed in the past two months and I owe it all to ARI.

Anyone needing help with autism or any spectrum within that, should go to this website. It has a lot of information and many resoures.

Because of joining TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) for free, I have now been connected with a Parent Mentor. I have found out where the good doctors for biomed are and a lot more information. I really am happy I found this and I am passing it along to you.

There is an excellent Autism group that I am a part of on Yahoo. You can ask questions and there are people that answer. It is better than a doctor since most doctors don't know as much as these researchers do.

Find other parents in your area. There is both strength and solace in numbers. Share information! Be open to new ideas. I've been parenting my son for 9 years, 7 knowing he was 'different', 6 with the label autistic.

I have a daughter who is 10 years old and the light of my life. She also was diagnosed with autism at age 2. I am looking to see if there are any parents I could talk with out there who have an autistic child. I really have no one to talk to and share my thoughts with. I am basically looking for a sympathetic ear, someone who understands what I am going through. Thanks.

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Rosemarie from Lynn, Mass.

Answers

By (Guest Post)

January 21, 20090 found this helpful

I am here. I have a lot of supports I can give you and I will post them later. Lots of places to get information and you can email me at robynfederspiel AT yahoo.com. Put Autism in the subject so I know who you are. I have a daughter who is 19 and I have lots of information and opinions on what works and what doesn't.

Here are some support sites for Parents and caregivers of children who have autism: (Put these titles in your search bar)

ARI - Autism Research InstituteASA - Autism Society of AmericaNICHCY - National Information Center for Children and Youth with DisabilitiesSensory Integration TrainingBook: The Sound of a Miracle The Georgiana Institutewww.RightHealth.com/autismThe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Early intervention worked very well for my child. You can have her screened at the local school for special needs and special early classes. I think my child was four when she went or maybe 31/2.

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Rocking is good for them. Don't ever let anyone try to make them stop.Don't listen to negative doctors who don't have any experience treating Autism.Food coloring especially Red was really bad for my daughter.Keeping notes on behavior and what took place before it happens is helpful.Taking them off of certain foods, such as bread for a while might help.Vitamins are essential.

You have to become an advocate, become educated and informed, go against the grain, study vaccination safety, study food additives, study cases and other parents feedbacks by going online all the time.... doctors dont really know much really, parent are the ones who are at the leading edge of information.

PLEASE seek therapy. Parenting an autistic child is not something you want to do alone...it takes a whole village to raise a child.....you need someone to talk to who is a professional.

It is also helpful to get a psychologist or psychiatrist for your child.

When I saw your post I looked again to see if you lived in a remote part of the world. There are autism support groups everywhere-google Autism and you will find them. Talk to special ed teachers, as well as any service proivders working with your daughter and they can give you referrals to parent organizations.

I tried Robyn's addy but it won't go. Please contact me at micah89701 AT yahoo.com for answers to questions I have about high-functioning aspergers young adults. Believe I might have two grandchildren who are suffering from this. They are cousins, offspring of sisters.

I have two children with autism, a girl, 5 and a boy 8. I hope I can help with this:

I own an online support group at www.care2.com. The site (care2) is a petition site, however, you can avoid signing those and just join groups that interest you. They have everything you can think of, from a to z. My group is called:

http://www.care up/autismreality It is called Autism: Research, Resources, and Reality (I call it 'triple R'). We are a good bunch, we offer advice, comfort, cheers, and discuss things in the news...and sometimes we just vent. I've done that there myself.

If you have troubles signing up, or don't want to but still just want to talk, my private Emails are:

I am a Wisconsin mom with four boys. My 12 year old has a mild form of autism called Asperger's syndrome, my nine and six year olds have classic autism, and I have a six month old son who we are praying won't be on the spectrum at all. You are not alone Rosemarie, and I hope you take comfort in that.

I have a 12 year old son who has Aspergers Syndrome. He was not diagnosed until he was 11. We went throught lots with him...I won't go into the details here. I have found lots of help through CARD (Centers for Autisic Related Disorders). I don't know if you have a chapter in your area, but if you do, check them out. They are live face to face people who have helped us tremendously, especially with the school system. They can also put you in touch with others in your area who are dealing with the same issues you are. Good Luck!

Honey just look in the phone book and try Easter seals in your neck of the woods. Also ask at school if there are parents of special needs. I have a beautiful 6 yr old little girl who is autistic and non verbal and means the world to me. So good luck, we are here and not too far away.

My elementary aged kids have learning disabilities including dyslexia and autism. The school is not able to provide textbooks on MP3 or other audio files that I can download. They are quite behind in school and I am transitioning to home schooling after many years of watching them fall further behind. I am looking for resources to educate my kids. We do not qualify for waived fees thru books on tape organizations or Assistive Technology, but cannot afford any of the fees involved.

This is broad, but I am starting with audio materials that can accompany text books. We can get audio story books easily, but cannot access grade leveled text materials. I am open to all suggestions! Thank you.

Answers

My husband works in special ed & he has told me that many textbook publishers offer audio to accompany their textbooks. If the school isn't helpful, try contacting the textbook's publisher. If the books are in public domain (as many classics are) you can download versions (many with sound) from the Gutenberg Project on the net.

Also check on FREE ebooks from Amazon (freestufftimes publishes lists of them almost daily) - Many of them come with sound, too - Then there are audio books available for current titles - also many on the net. Now that eReaders come with sound, you should be able to get eBooks with text + audio.

Rather than try to teach them at home I suggest you search for alternative schooling. Your state is obligated to provide education for your children. There must be a different school, even a private one that can help them.

If you are going to homeschool,then join HSLDA.They can help you find the resources you need. I homeschooled my oldest(Asperger syndrome) from 6th grade to graduation and have started homeschooling my younger son,7th grade(PDD-NOS)and they are capable of way more than the public school system was learning them.It will be hard and some days I had to just walk away and try again the next day.Find the things they like and build their lessons around that.Cooking can cover math,home economics,geography and science.We are unschooler's and it has been a blessing to see the "light bulb" go on when they finally get a concept.Our public schools only offered the alternative school option which is where they place the kids that get in trouble and my husband and I decided that was not a option we were comfortable with.